Bristol’s supposed message, her verbal message, is that becoming pregnant and having a child out of wedlock (she’s against abortion of course, and is to be admired for it) is a bad thing to do that will mess up your life, so don’t do it. But her real message, her non-verbal message, is that having a child out of wedlock leads to fame, stardom, travel, fun, and easy wealth, so why not do it?

If she were serious about her supposed message, she would have expressed regrets about the mistake that she herself says she made, made the statement that she made about her intent to remain celibate until she marries, and then retired from the scene to straighten out her life. Instead, she’s high on the hog, in our faces constantly, completely contradicting her supposed message of remorse.

That’s the Palin family for you—the jewel in the crown of American conservatism.

- end of initial entry -

N. writes:

I see the article at VFR regarding Bristol Palin. Unhappily you are likely to be correct that this will be well received by far too many people who call themselves “conservative”.

One of the things that has mystified me for many years is the unquestioning adoration so many liberals have for the Kennedy family. Time after time I have gotten a liberal to admit, detail by detail, to many wrong, bad and even criminal things done by members of the Kennedy family. And yet, at the end of discussion, the admiration for the Kennedy’s remains untouched. There’s no logic to it. In fact, in some cases it looked like a kind of idolatry.

I look at people who are culturally, fiscally, politically conservative who admire the Palin family and wonder. The only attractions that I could fathom in 2008 were Sarah Palin’s “outsider” status, and the sheer, naked hatred that the Left had for her. Both would engender a defensive reaction leading to support.

But come on! As you have pointed out so many times, there is much to dislike about the Palins from both cultural and politically conservative grounds. This latest, rather naked money-grubbing move by the family ought to be too much. Yet I fear it won’t.

What next? Drug use? What would the reaction be if Bristol or her ex boyfriend were arrested for possession of narcotics? I fear it would be another outpouring of sympathy along with a “free pass” such as the Democrats give to Kennedys who overdose.

I can’t understand the unquestioned admiration of the Palin family, but fear it will damage conservatism if it goes on.

Laura Wood writes:

Bristol did not have an abortion. That is admirable and undeniably good. But, as you say, she conveys the message that single motherhood is fun, easy and glamorous. She has also sued the father of her child, an indirect affront to her son and something that should automatically disqualify her from serving as a model of motherhood or fortitude. She’s a young girl having a great time. She’s going to have a hard time appearing convincingly sober as a speaker even at $30,000.

Her parents show the same lack of supervision in allowing her to serve as a national spokesperson for abstinence as they demonstrated in her earlier upbringing. Ultimately, they have put her in this position and they are responsible.